Shepard Fairey the US artist has unveiled a huge work attached to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to highlight the Conference of Parties (COP21), on Climate Change, taking place from December 7 – 8. The artist stated at the unveiling, “My political stance on protecting the planet is driven by my concern for the quality of life for future generations”

“I’m not an alarmist, but I do think people need to understand that we are facing an earth crisis. I think it is exciting that the globe provides different experiences for the viewer from a distance and up close while living in the heart of the Eiffel Tower”. Fairey added, “I hope the Earth Crisis globe appeals visually but also generates a needed conversation about the fate of our planet.”

Negotiators from more than 190 nations around the world will convene in Paris from November 29 through December 11, 2015, with the goal of reaching a new global climate change agreement. These negotiations offer governments a critical opportunity to craft a broad, balanced and durable agreement strengthening the international climate effort.

The Paris negotiations were launched in Durban, South Africa, in 2011 with the aim of producing a new legal agreement among national governments to strengthen the global response to climate change. This new global agreement is expected to include commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and provide assistance to countries that need it.

The UNFCCC, adopted in 1992, is a treaty among governments that provides a foundation for the global climate effort. Enjoying near-universal membership, the Convention was ratified by the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Convention set a long-term objective (avoiding “dangerous human interference with the climate system”), established principles to guide the global effort, and committed all countries to “mitigate” climate change by reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris agreement will define how countries will implement their UNFCCC commitments after 2020.

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement negotiated under the UNFCCC in 1997 to strengthen the global climate effort. Kyoto established emissions targets for developed countries only – the primary reason the United States did not join. By contrast, the Paris agreement is expected to include mitigation commitments from all parties. In addition, the Kyoto targets were legally binding, and countries’ targets under the Paris agreement likely won’t be.

Mr Fairey’s artwork titled, ‘Earth Crisis’ depicts the current plight our planet faces which will be addressed by the international delegates at the conference. The work is hung from cables holding the oversized two-ton globe iwhich measures eight meters in diameter and is covered in a nostalgic patterns highlighting threats to Earth’s ecology.

Shepard Fairey has been involved in climate issues depicting them in his artwork. in light of the Paris massacre. “The project has a greater degree of weight and I don’t know if I’m worthy,” he stated.